After Selling A Startup For $70 Million At Age 25, Founder Blows Through Fortune And Heads To Prison

Thirteen years ago, things looked brighter for Jennifer Sultan.

Then, Sultan was a recent New York University graduate who sold a tech startup, Live Online, for $70 million. That summer she rented a summer house in the Hamptons and purchased a penthouse in Manhattan's Union Square.

Unfortunately, gaining so much wealth at the young age of 25 seemed to be a curse. After several failed attempts at a few more tech ventures, Sultan began to dabble in holistic health and eventually, became addicted to pain killers. Last Friday, Sultan, now 38, pled guilty to selling painkillers and for trying to sell a firearm, The New York Times reports. She'll be spending four years in prison, which isn't bad considering her sentence was initially five times that.

From NYT:

Early last year, a city narcotics investigator discovered an advertisement Ms. Sultan had placed on Craigslist offering prescription painkillers for sale. She and Mr. Cohen were still living in the penthouse loft near Union Square that they bought after the sale of Live Online.

Five times from February through June, she sold pills to an undercover officer, according to her indictment. One sale took place at the Starbucks on Union Square.

In another, she sold 183 oxycodone tablets to the officer for $4,400 at a Starbucks in the Flatiron district near the school where she was studying acupuncture.

Something seems a bit fishy about someone smart enough to make 70 million dollars also being stupid enough to deal oxycodone on craigslist, I know its probably not a set up or whatever but still weird. I feel bad for her honestly, I bet with that 70 million she got herself one fucking giant opiate habit that most addicts wouldnt even fathom and then when that dried up she had such a huge habit she had to sell massive amounts of opiates just to stay well. She also is most likely a decent person aside from selling opiates and using them, seeing as she had to use craigslist to move drugs it shows she doesnt have drug connections and is probably just a person with a drug problem who got in way over their head. I can't imagine what it would feel like to blow through 70 million dollars in 13 years though, knowing you had everything and never had to work again and all of its gone including your freedom for a few hours of euphoria. Its funny how it says she began to dabble in holistic health though and then became addicted to painkillers, quite the OXYmoron

Something seems a bit fishy about someone smart enough to make 70 million dollars also being stupid enough to deal oxycodone on craigslist, I know its probably not a set up or whatever but still weird. I feel bad for her honestly, I bet with that 70 million she got herself one fucking giant opiate habit that most addicts wouldnt even fathom and then when that dried up she had such a huge habit she had to sell massive amounts of opiates just to stay well. She also is most likely a decent person aside from selling opiates and using them, seeing as she had to use craigslist to move drugs it shows she doesnt have drug connections and is probably just a person with a drug problem who got in way over their head. I can't imagine what it would feel like to blow through 70 million dollars in 13 years though, knowing you had everything and never had to work again and all of its gone including your freedom for a few hours of euphoria. Its funny how it says she began to dabble in holistic health though and then became addicted to painkillers, quite the OXYmoron

I don't get this script drug thing either. I've eaten xanax, oxy, etc... it really isn't anything all that special.

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Its like that for almost everyone who becomes addicted to opiates or any pills in the beginning IME, the first few times you dont know what your sweet spot is for dosing or maybe you are looking for a type of high that isnt provided by these drugs and get disappointed. If you are person like me with anxiety and depression problems and you find that sweet spot within the first few times of trying opiates theres a good chance you will end up with some trouble on your hands down the line as the high wipes out any depression and makes everything just feel so damn good and I get motivated and I just will talk talk talk when normally Im introverted and get really paranoid/nervous about talking with people. If you are lucky you will have the reaction that you had wondering whats so special about it and some people get violently ill as well there first few times with opiates and that can really turn someone off of them, they are definitely an acquired taste when it comes to my experience. Its almost like an acquired taste and it takes some dabbling to understand why people like em so much. No matter how much I loved taking em I would never spend all those millions, she obviously didnt have any type of criminal connections because with that type of money you could just buy a fuckload of heroin for pennies of what she probably paid for those oxys.